


Remember Me

by Black_Twilight_Phoenyx



Series: YouTuber Oneshots and Fanfics [1]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Brotherly Love, Friendship, Gen, Injury, Loss, Memory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 06:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4009969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Black_Twilight_Phoenyx/pseuds/Black_Twilight_Phoenyx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link is injured. Rhett is terrified. Both of them must answer one question.<br/>Would you die as someone's best friend, or live without knowing them at all?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Remember Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mythical_Beast](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mythical_Beast/gifts).



The blinds were slanted downwards on the closed windows, directing the gray sunlight onto the floor. The walls seemed darker than usual, despite the crisp white shade. The monitor beeped slowly, beginning to lose the rhythm that everyone could only hope to hear. The man laid down on his back on the hospital bed, eyes closed. His glasses were set on the stand beside him. There was a bandage wrapped around his head, and his chest moved up and down in an agonizingly slow motion. The man’s breath rattled in his chest, causing him to cough occasionally. His black hair was brushed to the side, thin coal-colored wisps framing his face and curved jaw line. His mouth was partially open in the way that looked like he was sleeping. But the person standing beside him, the man’s best friend, knew better.  
This man was anxiously wringing his hands, pressing his fingers deep into his palms and making a fist so tightly that his knuckles turned bone white. His light, dirty blonde hair was tangled and unkempt, but he still managed to look handsome. His green and blue hazel eyes glittered with anxiety and fear for his friend. “Link,” breathed the man quietly. “Link, please...respond to me, if you can hear me…I need to hear your voice again, man.”  
Link’s eyes fluttered underneath his eyelids. His mouth barely moved with his hoarse response. “Rhett? Is…is that you?” he whispered without opening his eyes.  
Rhett sighed with relief, even though he already knew that his best friend was still alive. He nodded and murmured, “Link…I’ve missed you so much…”  
“I…I’ve missed you too…what are you doing here, Rhett? How…how is everyone? How are…Christy and Jessie and the kids?” Link shifted slightly, moving his head a bit so that he was facing Rhett as he mentioned their wives’ names. Then he opened up his eyes, staring up at his friend. Rhett gazed back down at him, looking at the once-bright ice blue eyes that still shimmered with some of the old energy that Link once possessed. But he looked exhausted from fighting this fever and head injury, and as Rhett watched, Link grimaced and closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again, looking a bit distorted.  
“I’m fine. We’re fine. Even though Christy’s worried to death about you…but that’s expected,” Rhett joked halfheartedly.  
Link gave Rhett a half smile, but it had no trace of happiness or humor in it. It was pure sadness and regret. It changed into a frown a second later, and Link stared at something inexistent located past Rhett’s head. Link’s eyes became unfocused, and Rhett was about to say something when Link mumbled, “The doctors…”  
Rhett scooted forward and sat down in the chair beside Link’s bed. “What is it, brother?”  
Link sighed and turned on his back again, staring up at the ceiling blankly and folding his hands on his chest. Rhett leaned over to see Link’s face, and he felt a lump form in his throat as he saw tears shining in Link’s eyes. “They said something…something about some surgery they could operate on me,” continued Link softly, his voice beginning to sound clear again.  
Rhett tilted his head. “Tell me about it,” he pressed. He put his hand on Link’s hands, fighting back a shudder as he felt the hot, clammy skin. He’s getting worse, thought Rhett. He began to feel panic rise up in his heart, icy cold and hard. I can’t lose him…  
Link stared at him, his eyes sad and distant. In that moment, Rhett was thrown into memories of the last time he saw Link healthy and uninjured.

***

The wind buffeted the hair of the two men as they lingered on the cliff edge. The cold early morning air breezed into Rhett’s jacket, causing him to shiver. He wrapped his hands around himself tighter and glanced at Link, who flashed him a smile. Link teased, “Getting cold feet, Rhett?”  
Rhett rolled his eyes. “Do you have any understanding of how dangerous this is, Link?”  
“Of course I do! As if climbing up a cliff side by ourselves and the crew – who is already at the top – in the dark at 5 in the morning wasn’t dangerous. But I trust you, so you should do the same. Besides, it’s not like we’ll fall off…right?”  
Rhett stared at Link and then at the rocks below the ledge. He swallowed as he kicked a pebble off of the side and watched it fall onto the ground far below. “Well, that’s the hope,” Rhett replied, watching as Link’s face went white with alarm. “I’m kidding!” laughed Rhett, despite his own doubts. At least, I hope I am.  
Link grumbled, “You better be.”  
“Do it for the mythical beasts. Come on. Don’t disappoint them. They wanted us to climb up a cliff and have breakfast at the top, that’s what we’re going to do.”  
Link sighed. “Alright – for you and the mythical beasts. I’m going to regret this.”  
Rhett shook his head and urged Link on. “Go up; I’ll come up after you,” said Rhett. Link nodded and walked over to the slanted rock wall. Fingering the cord around his waist, the black-haired man put his hands on the rocks, inhaled, and began to pull himself up. Rhett waited until Link was about a quarter up before grabbing two sharp rocks that jutted out of the cliff wall and began to climb. Thank God that this cliff isn’t that steep, Rhett thought, and that we took those climbing classes before this…I just hope I – or Link – don’t do anything stupid. Which we do a lot.  
“Rhett!” called Link from above.  
“Yeah?”  
“Check out the sky,” advised Link, raising his voice over the wind. “The sun is beginning to rise.”  
Rhett turned around slowly. He gazed at the morning sky, grinning as the night began to get pushed away by the rising sun. The sky got a bit brighter, the navy blue hue taking on a lighter periwinkle color. Hints of pink and yellow lined the horizon. “It’s beautiful,” agreed Rhett, unsure if Link could hear him. “This is what makes it worth it.”  
Link added, “And the waffles.”  
“Yes, and the waffles,” chuckled Rhett as he turned around again and kept climbing. They were almost there. Rhett could hear the laughs of the crew as they waited for the two to get up. Rhett smiled, excited to finish this expedition with Link. This is why he looked forward to each viewer challenge – but this wasn’t really a challenge, at least not to Rhett. This was just amazing…he didn’t think anything could ruin this.  
And of course…he was wrong.

***

Rhett was wrenched out of his memories with a gasp. Screaming and shouting filled his ears, and all Rhett could see was the picture of Link lying on his back in front of him, blood matting his hair and dripping down his skull. He heard himself screaming Link’s name over and over again in terror, forcing Rhett to remember what had happened. The bungee cord wasn’t properly supported…it was frayed…the wind…Link fell… Rhett’s head was a jumble of terrified memories. The ringing of ambulance alarms flooded his head, and Rhett squeezed his eyes shut and staggered away from the hospital bed in fear.  
“Rhett?” came Link’s questioning voice. “Rhett, are you okay?”  
Ashamed, Rhett looked back at Link and opened his eyes. Link was staring at him, his brows a picture of worry. “No…I’m not…” admitted Rhett quietly.  
Link frowned, understanding the problem. He breathed, “Brother…you have to stop this…I know what’s happening. Stop blaming yourself…”  
Rhett blurted out, “But it should have been me…I was the one who checked all the gear! I gave them the okay to use it! Link…it…it should have been me…”  
Link shook his head as well as he could. “Stop saying that. You don’t deserve this. I’m glad it was me…I can’t live without you, Rhett.”  
Rhett protested, “But neither can I…Link, I-I don’t know if…”  
“If what, Rhett?” insisted Link quietly. “If what?”  
Rhett stared at Link, the lump in his throat getting bigger and beginning to burn. “If you’ll recover,” he said in a small voice. “If you’ll ever be okay again.”  
Link relaxed and settled back. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “That’s what I mean to talk to you about, remember?”  
Rhett nodded, his eyes wide and nervous as he said, “Yes. Go ahead.”  
Link obviously found what he was about to say hard to get out, which Rhett found odd. “You know that the injury mostly affected my prefrontal lobe – you know, the part of my brain that controls memory, right?”  
“Yeah…they told us that a few days after we got you here. Does this have anything to do with –”  
Link raised his hand a bit, stopping Rhett. “You’ll see in a moment,” Link murmured, his voice thick with pain – but was it emotional or physical, wondered Rhett. “Look…there is a way I’ll be alright. In fact, I’ll be able to leave the hospital soon after they operate this surgery. But…Rhett…the thing is…” Link swallowed and then finished, “It will reset my long-term memory, because it’ll be performed on my prefrontal lobe. Do…do you know what I’m trying to say?”  
A realization was dawning on Rhett. One that was starting to horrify him. But he wanted to hear it from Link’s lips. “No, Link…I mean…tell me,” responded Rhett in a light voice.  
Link closed his eyes in a grief-stricken look and laid back, tears beginning to leak out of the corners of his eyes. In the smallest whisper, he said, “I won’t remember you after the surgery.”  
Rhett didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t say anything. “Link…” His voice quivered with shock and intense sadness. “I…if we…I can’t…”  
Link sighed sadly. “I know…I need you too. There’s another way, you know…I could just die…”  
“No!” exclaimed Rhett, horrified. “You can’t die on me!”  
“But, Rhett…” Link gulped. “I’d rather die your best friend instead of having to live without knowing you.”  
Rhett was overcome with mixed emotions. He felt salty tears rolling down his face, tears of affection and grief. “Link,” he whispered, “you can’t die. You’ve still got family. You still have GMM, your channel – our channel. Please. You…you’ll only forget me, nothing else – everything recent will still be in your memory...”  
Link reached up, his hands trying to find Rhett’s again. Rhett quickly took Link’s hands in his again and stared at his friend as Link nodded, his eyes closed. “But you made it all happen…you made it all worth it,” he exhaled.  
Rhett’s chest was shaking as tears poured out of his eyes. He knelt down by the bed and leaned over Link, his face only inches away. “You can start again,” he murmured, his breath ruffling Link’s hair. Link opened his eyes, his brilliant ice-blue gaze fixed on Rhett as the taller man continued, “You’ll still have your family. You’ll still have GMM. Maybe things won’t be the same. But it’s better than ending your life now. Link, you can’t give up.”  
Link stared up at Rhett, and his eyes looked a million miles away. He questioned in a voice that hardly sounded like his, “How much does my life mean to you, Rhett? Now that you know that if I do live, you won’t be…” His voice trailed off as Link looked away.  
Rhett narrowed his eyes. “Your life means everything to me, Link. I’m not going to give up on you. Nor will anyone else. C’mon, Link…you’ve still got so many years in you.”  
Link didn’t seem to hear. “The sunrise we saw on the cliff side…Rhett…that’s going to be the best memory I remember…” he told him.  
Rhett gulped, his eyes burning. He whispered, “Me too, brother…me too.”  
Link bit his lip, his forehead beaded with sweat. He couldn’t seem to find his voice. “I-I’ll miss you, Rhett,” he said weakly.  
“Does this mean you’re going to accept the surgery, then?”  
“Y-yes…”  
“Good.”  
“But I don’t know how I’ll live without you, Rhett…I need you…”  
Rhett squeezed Link’s hands and told Link firmly, “You’re going to start again, with Christy and the kids. You’re going to live your life as best as you can and you’re going to do it like you would have without me. I know that you need me. I need you too. But sometimes…sometimes life takes its twists and turns. And sometimes we just have to accept them. I’ll miss you too, Link. I’ll always remember you, enough for the both of us.”  
Link’s face was wet with tears, now. “That…that’s the most inspiring speech I’ve ever heard you give, Rhett,” Link teased lightly.  
“Hey, if you’re going to remember one thing today, it’s going to be that, okay?” In a softer voice, Rhett added, “And Link…just remember this one thing…I love you. Never forget it.”  
“I love you too, Rhett,” Link said quietly.  
Rhett closed his eyes and briefly put his forehead on Link’s forehead, bringing them closer than they had ever been before. In that second, Rhett tried to draw in Link’s entire being into his own, attempting to enjoy their last moments as best friends. But that moment was over too soon. The door opened behind them, and Rhett stood up and watched as three doctors came in. “Mr. McLaughlin, it’s time for you to go,” said one doctor, his voice echoing with unhidden compassion. “Let’s give Mr. Neal his rest.”  
“No,” cried Rhett. “Not yet…I-I can’t…”  
Beside him, Link reached up and shook his head. “It’s okay, Rhett. Go. Just hope…” Link’s voice faltered. Rhett stared at him, his head spinning. Link glanced at him, smiled sadly, and mouthed, I love you, brother, right before the doctors stepped in front of Rhett and gently ushered him outside. Rhett was able to look over his shoulder and capture one last glimpse of Link staring at him with tears streaming out of his eyes before Rhett was pushed into the hall and the door closed behind him.  
He didn’t know what had just happened. It took him a minute to fully register that his best friend was gone. That he had just experienced his last few minutes with Link, the Link he knew since first grade. That realization was enough to unleash another wave of pain against Rhett’s heart. Rhett sank to his knees, grief overcoming him. “No…no, no, no…Link…” he groaned softly as he fell to the floor and closed his eyes. The last thing he remembered before sinking into unconsciousness was the smell of Jessie’s perfume washing over him as his wife knelt beside him, crying.

 

Three months passed. Days went by slowly and unnoticeably. Rhett had posted one last video onto the GMM channel – a vlog explaining what had happened and announcing that there would be no more GMM videos. The subscriber number had drastically decreased after that. Rhett’s social media was filled with viewer demands and questions that he chose to all ignore, as much as it hurt him. He fell into a mild depression, much to the dismay of Jessie. He spent most of his days in his office, watching old GMM videos with him and Link, crying over the times they spent together. Finally Jessie was able to draw him out of his office and encourage him to visit his other friends. Rhett agreed reluctantly, refusing to push Link out of his mind.  
Where is Link, anyway? wondered Rhett as he wandered through the mall on one Saturday morning. The mall was empty for a weekend day; there were only a couple hundred people occupying the building. He hadn’t heard from Christy since the surgery; he wanted desperately to know how his former best friend’s condition was. He knew Link was alright – but how much did he remember? Enough? Too little? It was all Rhett could do to hold himself back from driving to Link’s house and bombarding him with questions. Rhett knew he had to give Link’s family time to adjust, and to let Christy – or Link – contact them on their own times.  
Rhett walked into the main food court and sat down on a bench, merely wanting to catch his thoughts and linger upon them. He put his head in his hands and closed his eyes, suddenly relishing the unnatural quietness of the mall. For a few minutes, he was alone in his own thoughts until he heard a scuffle beside him. Without looking up, Rhett heard someone slide into the bench beside him and begin to rifle through something that sounded like paper while muttering to himself. As Rhett sat there awkwardly, a very faint but familiar smell of cologne reached his nose…something that reminded him of…  
No…it can’t be…  
Slowly Rhett raised his head and turned to look at the person beside him. He gawked at the sight of a black-haired man, thick-rimmed glasses sitting on his nose. The man’s bright blue eyes were fixed on the binder sitting on his knee in front of him, flipping through papers. Rhett’s heart skipped as he realized who it was. He casually scooted a bit closer, not wanting to draw the man’s attention. In a low voice, Rhett said, “Link?” The man beside him froze. Link lifted his head up from his binder, turned, and stared directly at Rhett. “How do you know my name?” wondered Link, his lips hardly moving as he asked in the breathless whisper.  
“Charles Lincoln Neal,” continued Rhett, his voice still quiet.  
Link’s eyes widened. “Who…who are you?”  
Rhett felt a lump form in his throat. “You really don’t remember,” Rhett whispered, choking. He began to move away. “I-I’m sorry I bothered you, I didn’t…”  
Link held up his hand, stopping Rhett. “Hold on,” Link said, squinting at Rhett. “What…what’s your name?”  
Rhett blinked. “My name is –”  
“Rhett McLaughlin.”  
Rhett’s heart stopped. He gaped at Link, who looked equally surprised. Rhett demanded, “Say that again.”  
“Rhett McLaughlin,” repeated Link, slower this time. The name seemed strange on his tongue. “How…how did I know that?”  
Rhett breathed, “You…remember…”  
Link raised an eyebrow. “I…what? I’ve never even –” Link was interrupted as Rhett cannoned into him, wrapping his arms around him. Under his firm grip, Rhett could feel Link tensed tightly beneath him. Rhett was suddenly scared that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. But then he sighed in relief as he felt Link relax. Arms returned Rhett’s embrace, and in Rhett’s ear, Link whispered, “You’re going to need explain a lot, Mr. McLaughlin…I can’t explain it, but you seem familiar.”  
Laughing, Rhett sat back and stared at Link, a smile tugging at his lip. With his hands still on Link’s shoulders, Rhett promised, “I’ll explain everything to you, brother. And you will remember.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know that you know this, but this story is for my best friend, Mythical_Beast. She is the greatest friend I have ever made and ever will make, and I wanted to write a meaningful -- if not short -- story to sort of show how I would feel if I lost her. Rhett and Link are Mythical's favorite YouTubers, and they are in the top of my favorite YouTubers as well. I thought that an RaL fanfic would be perfect for this -- not just because we both love RaL, but also because our friendship is just like Rhett and Link's friendship...if not better. If you have a story about your best friend, feel free to tell me about it in the comments. Thanks for reading; kudos would be great. *winks*


End file.
